Six White Pigeon and White Pigeon-area soldiers — and many of their brothers and sisters from all branches of the military who died in combat — will be honored Saturday.

The unveiling of the Fallen Soldiers Memorial takes place at 1 p.m. at Wahbememe Park, at the northwest corner of U.S. 131 and U.S. 12.

Constructed with proceeds raised through the 1st Lt. Jonathan W. Edds Memorial Fund, the monument is a tribute to all fallen soldiers, as its name implies.

Julia Edds, mother of Jonathan Edds, said the tribute represents a site for people to gather and reflect on someone they knew who has served in the military but never made it home alive.

“Saturday will be a really emotional day for a lot of us … but we’re thrilled to have the memorial in place and we hope people feel a sense of peace when they come here,” she said.

Edds and her husband, Barry, came up with the idea of the memorial after the dedication of a flagpole and flag near the property a year ago. Since then, a replacement flag pole has been erected southwest of the memorial and complements the tribute site.

She said six names are included on a piece of granite at the center of the monument. Each of the six is someone from White Pigeon or the White Pigeon-area who died in combat, dating to World War I. Edds said finding and confirming some of the six were from the area was a monstrous task.

The process involved trips to the county courthouse, close contact with the American Legion and interviews with family members of the deceased. The final piece of the puzzle was confirming the residence of World War II combatant Lyle Burdick, a person about whom she had little information.

“Once I found the connection and confirmed he was from the area, I felt like I had just found one of my own kids,” Edds said. “Through trying to verify their military service and where they were from, I uncovered a great deal of information about every one of these heroes.”

The latest entry on the memorial features her son, Jonathan, who died Aug. 17, 2007, in Iraq.

Work on the memorial started in February and finishing touches will be added through Friday in preparation for Saturday’s dedication. Featured speaker is Jonathan’s brother, Josh.

Nearly 280 in-ground bricks have been purchased and inscribed with the name of a veteran. Edds said proceeds from the brick purchase went toward construction of the memorial.

By the end of the week, a sign proclaiming “Wahbememe Park, White Pigeon,” will be put up at the northwest corner of the intersection. The Edds family paid for the signs out of their own pocket.

Page 2 of 2 - Meanwhile, the Edds Foundation’s single largest fundraiser takes place Saturday with the 5K run. Registration is 8 to 9 a.m. near Krull Skate Park across from White Pigeon High School, and the event begins at 9 a.m. Cost is $25 for adults and $15 for school-aged children. All proceeds go to the Jonathan Edds Memorial Fund.